Noah Schnapp feels at ease thanks to Stranger Things
Noah Schnapp credits Stranger Things with helping him become more comfortable with himself as an outsider.
Noah Schnapp credits Stranger Things with helping him become more comfortable with himself.
The 21-year-old actor - who came out as gay in January 2023 - admitted his stint playing Will Byers not only helped him work out his sexuality but also reassured him that it is OK to feel different.
He told GQ magazine: “Seeing how the world receives Will, and embraces him, has taught me through the years to feel OK in who I am, and how I express myself...
“But it didn’t just help find my own identity sexually. As a person, it taught me that it’s OK to be me, as everything that I am.
“And I think that’s what’s so special about our show, and what’s so special about Will. It doesn’t resonate with queer people, it resonates with all people who feel different.”
Noah has felt "not part of the group" and "always that weird kid on the side" for most of his life but playing Will has helped him to embrace the things that set him apart from others.
He said: “I’ll carry that with me through my life.”
Meanwhile, a flashback scene in the upcoming fifth and final season of Stranger Things features Will's disappearance into the Upside Down in season one and required the actor to be de-aged.
A young lookalike was brought in the film the scenes, and Noah's face was then digitally-imposed on his, and the actor enjoyed guiding his teenage double in how he used to express his emotions in the early day of the show.
He said: “I was like, Oh my God, I’m not the kid now. I’m the adult.
"So it was definitely rewarding to feel like, ‘Oh, I can give advice to this young kid.’ He was adorable.”
Noah and his co-stars Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLoughlin and Gaten Matarazzo are confident fans will be satisfied with the Stranger Things ending.
Finn said: “It felt really good to shoot, and that’s such a rare thing.
"It is true, though. People are always hyper-critical of [finales]. And I feel like, after seeing so many finales, I just do feel like we did a great job.”
Gaten added: “I also know there is a stereotype, but there are plenty of shows that do it really well. Breaking Bad has a great f*****’ ending.”
Finn noted people hate The Sopranos' finale, while Game of Thrones' ending was controversial.
He added: "I don’t think it’ll be like that at all."
